Tag Archives: Australia

The 4th edition of Madhya Pradesh Travel Mart (MPTM) will be held from October 27-29, 2017, in Bhopal, informed Hari Ranjan Rao, Secretary, Tourism and Public Service Management and Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation. Over 200 national and international buyers and around 100 exhibitors of distinct Indian markets are expected to participate in the mart. With the theme, Seek-Discover-Explore, the mart will offer a B2B platform to bring together tourism stakeholders and representatives from heritage hotels, conference venues, tour operators and wildlife parks etc. The mart is supported by various trade organisations, like ADTOI, ATTOI, IATO, FAITH, TAAI and TAFI. Rao informed that this year, the number of attendees to the mart is expected to cross over 9 crore. International participants attending the show include representatives from Singapore, Spain, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Thailand, Poland, Austria, Australia, France etc. Rao said, “The travel mart is an opportunity in which the tourism aspects of the state and the policies ad schemes are conveyed to the investors. In the last three years of the travel mart in Bhopal, it has been experienced that through this one-to-one discussion with tourists, tourism, hospitality and participants of the hotel industry, the efforts being made for the expansion of the area are also being underlined.

The Indian government has reportedly increased the visa fee in different categories for nationals from the US, the UK, Canada, Israel, Iran and UAE. As per a government notification, a tourist visa up to one year will now cost $153 from the earlier $100. The tourist visa for over a year and up to five years will cost $306 instead of $120. Mainly affecting foreigners who work in the country, the move comes about as a reciprocal measure, since countries like the US, New Zealand, and Australia have planned or already implemented such processes. However, UK nationals, who used to cough up $162 for a tourist visa up to a year, will now pay $248. And for a five year tourist visa, they will pay $741 instead of $484. For employment visa, nationals from Canada, Ireland, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Thailand will now pay $459 instead of $300 for a visa spanning over a year and up to five years. Israelis continue to cough up the most for a short-term visa. They will now pay $1,714 instead of $1,120.

Malayasia will play host to the 16th Asia Pacific Life Insurance Congress (APLIC) from May 17-19, 2017, at Resorts World, Genting Highlands. Organised by the National Association of Life Insurance and Family Takaful Advisors (NAMLIFA), this is the third time that Malaysia is conducting APLIC after that in 1993 and 2005. The congress is a biennial event that will be co-hosted by member countries of the Asia Pacific Financial Services Association (APFinSA) together with support of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia. Themed as “Together As One”, the congress aims to promote the business development and productivity of financial services professionals. More than 5,000 life insurance practitioners from 13 countries including Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Australia, China and Malaysia will attend the bi-annual event, making it the largest financial services congress in the region. “The 16th APLIC being an international event, is set to promote Malaysia as an international Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibition destination in Asia. As we target at least 60 per cent of foreign participation, the inflow of foreign participants will also boost the tourism industry in Malaysia that will have a direct and spillover effect on the local economy,” said Tang Kia Sing, Organising Chairman of the 16th APLIC.

Malindo Air has announced exclusive fares to Business and Economy Class travellers during its ‘Early Bird Gets the Deal’ offer, to fully enjoy a premium service. The promotional fares available between February 27 and March 5, 2017, will be valid for all purchases made online, over the counter at all Malindo Air ticketing offices and through travel agencies. Travel validity is from 1 April 2017 until 30 November 2017. The fares are available for Malaysian domestic flights and flights to Singapore, Australia, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam. CEO of Malindo Air, Chandran Rama Muthy, said “This is our biggest sale yet for 2017 with over 1,000,000 seats up for grabs. As this sale offers super value deals on both domestic and international routes, we are very optimistic that it will be a great success. We are certain our guests will be very excited over the affordable fares that come with our premium service of extra legroom, on board meals, in-flight entertainment and 30kg baggage allowance.”